Start this project on a sunny day just before noon.
Use the pencil to poke a hole through the very center of the paper plate. Write the number 12 on the edge of the plate with a crayon. Using the ruler as a guide, draw a straight line from the number 12 to the hole in the center of the plate.
Take Plate Outside
At noon, take the plate and the straw outside.
Put the plate on the ground and poke the straw through the hole.
Slant the straw toward the line you drew.
Now carefully turn the plate so that the shadow of the straw falls along the line to the number 12.
Fasten Plate to Ground
Fasten the plate to the ground with some pushpins.
Predict where you thinks that the shadow of the straw will be pointing in one hour.
Check Shadow Position Hourly
One hour later, at one o'clock, check the position of the shadow along the edge of the plate and write the number 1 on that spot.
Continue each hour predicting the position and then checking and marking the actual position and time on the edge of the plate.